Tranquil Sea
by HearMySoulSpeak
Summary: Casey Novak believes she has achieved overcoming her grim past. One night she returns from Montana where she spend four days with her father,she finds a little girl inside her car's hatch back. Who is this girl? How and why did she get inside Casey's trunk? What happens when a blast from Casey's past flutters her ostensibly peaceful life? Season 13. Calex pair


_**A/N: Hello. This story has been playing in my mind a lot lately so I thought that maybe I should give it a shot and see what your thoughts about it are. **_

_**Disclaimer: As most of the writers (if not all) in this site I do not own anything except the plot and the original characters included. Otherwise, you'd probably be hunkering down in your couch holding, chewing a handful of pop-corns instead of using your computer or cell phone to read this.  
**_

It was a cold autumn afternoon in Montana. Weak gusts of wind were causing the scant leaves that were left on the stripped branches of the trees that surrounded the peaceful path we were walking on, to swirl in a magic dance before fall on the ground like a talented ballerina that spins around herself in a gorgeous pirouette before let the toe of her cute ballet slipper touch the wooden floor under her.

The scenery around us looked like an artist's tapestry as the brown color of the majestic tree stems was mixed in a unique breathtaking way with multiple shades of every color. It felt like we were listeners of an enchanting concert that wasn't whipped up by a team of musicians playing loads of different organs but from nature's no end of sounds: the sound the lake's waves were making as they crashed at the shore every now and then, the sound wild horses' hoofs made as they galloped through the enormous forest or the chirps of the huge variety of birds that flew around or landed on the trees to rest.

The only thing giving away our presence was the sound our shoes made as we stepped on the fallen orange leaves while leaving behind us the old white house with the small wooden terrace, poles of which were skirted by the clinging plants my mother had planted many years ago. The insistence and caring of my father helped them keep growing even when she wasn't there anymore to see the seeds she had planted with so much love blooming.

The sound of the waves sounded higher and clearer with every step we took. Soon the view of the house I spend many of my childhood days in disappeared behind the foliage of the few evergreen trees that wreathed the space around the lake. Moments later we were admiring the picturesque landscape that the path opened out to: the most beautiful coastline of the Flathead Lake which immediately brought me so many memories in mind that I had to close my eyes and take a big breath in order to avoid letting the tears I restrained during the last four days stream down my face.

"You always loved coming here when you were little." My father's words broke the silence that had fallen between us. "I remember the day you discovered that place like it was yesterday" he added, his eyes reflecting the pathos he always felt when he was going to narrate a story from the era when we used to be a _whole _family. There's no person I know who doesn't enjoy listening to my father's stories. I've got vivid memories of me and my siblings being gathered in the living room, totally absorbed in the story of how our parents got to meet each other like this story had never been narrated before.

He waved me to follow him and we walked towards a tree stem at the edge of the small secluded beach, which had been cut and placed in a sidelong position offering a place to sit to whoever happened to be there. From that point of view, you could easily let yourself relax; setting them free from every negative thought that has been bothering you. This has been the reason why I used to cross the distance between our house and the beach whenever I felt like I needed sometime alone with myself during my childhood and teenage years.

I ensconced myself on the old tree stem as my father began telling me the story I've heard countless times before: It was a sunny summer day during the first holidays we spent there. I was six years old so my memories are really foggy but I would be able to recount all the events with incredible accuracy. My mother Samantha had punished me about doing some action I cannot recall at the moment-maybe it had to do with the fact that our neighbors' kitten jumped at her in its way out of our freezer when she opened it to put inside some ice creams she had just bought us, I am not sure- and while I was getting scolded, I blackmailed her I'd leave the house and they'd never see me again. She probably didn't take me seriously but I collected a bar of chocolate, my two favorite toys, a book and a five dollar bill that I found in my father's wallet and I wrapped them up in a table cloth. Few hours later I achieved to wriggle out of my mother's vigilant gaze and sneak out of the house. As soon as I made sure that no one was sure, I headed to the woods. I kept running without knowing where I was going but I was so confident that I was never going to return home that I didn't even paid the slightest attention on that fact. I hadn't moved my eyes towards the lake even once during my whole 'get away' until I found myself in a side of the lake I hadn't been before. I slowed my pace in order to observe the environment around me. I stood at the spot I was standing onto for a little while, staring at the direction of the Wild Horse Island before walk across the lake, letting the waves wet my feet and finally stop to rest at the tree stem.

Back at home, when my mom noticed my absence, she started looking for me in all over the house. Once she realized I wasn't there anymore, she, my father and our neighbors-who more likely had forgiven me about their kitten at the moment-, went searching me at the forest, dived in two teams. As every minute without finding me passed, my mother was feeling so worried that she stated that if she find me alive, she will never scold me again ever. Half an hour later they found me sleeping on the tree stem, being so tired that I didn't even hear them shouting my name or react in any way as my father lift me up and held me carefully in his arms during our way home. Next day my mother apologized for being that bad with me and she bought me a new doll and she let me eat two ice creams instead of one despite having eaten the half chocolate bar the night before.

More stories followed after this one and we kept talking and laughing without realizing how quickly the time was passing until I received a text from Alex saying she achieved to get the jury find the defendant guilty in all counts-even the one of them she thought they would never find him guilty for- and that she was going to take me out for dinner once I was back in New York and that she also had a surprise for me. I texted her back saying I would love to hang out for dinner with her and I couldn't wait to see what the surprise was, smiling the whole time.

"I'm glad to see you being that happy, Case" I heard my father saying when I pressed the 'send' button. "Don't try denying it; I know I haven't been the best father I could be for you and Darren after your mother and siblings died. I'm also aware of how grievous has their casualty been for the two of you. I should have handled the things better than that. I had lost my wife and five out of my seven children but I should've been here for the two of them that were still alive. On the contrary, I allowed my sorrow overwhelm me which was the worst thing I could do to you. It was like you had lost your father either, the moment you needed me the most. All I managed to do was either being overwhelmed by my sorrow or being scolding you and your brother and I are really sorry that you had to be put through this." He said mentioning the subject I was trying to avoid as tears started rolling on his cheeks.

"Dad, you shouldn't be apologizing. Depression isn't something you can handle. Anyone in your place would have acted in the same way, maybe worse" I replied taking one of his hands in mine.

He pulled his hand and turned his head so his green gaze would be facing its perfect copy. "I should have done something about it. I should have done something when you would wake up crying in the middle of the night because you'd see the same nightmare again and again or when Darren would stay up all night drinking and crying. You were nine and he was sixteen. You couldn't take care of yourselves. I should be there to calm you down instead of being unable to hide my own sorrow. The less I can do is apologizing for my behavior. I will always be thanking god you accomplished letting your past behind you and success in your lives. You're an excellent prosecutor with an impressive conviction rate, helping victims of sexually based offenses find the justice they deserve and you have an exceptional girlfriend who loves you. Darren is a highly capable surgeon who saves human lives or lengthens them every day , married to a woman who is just as good as Alexandra and a parent of two sweet boys. I am thoroughly sure that if your mother could see you right now, she'd be proud of you"

All the emotions I've been trying to restrain all this time, poured out of me like a rapid-moving waterfall. Pain, Pathos, Sadness, even happiness manifested in the form of teardrops that rolled down my pale cheeks. We hugged each other and he rubbed my back as I let myself cry on his shoulders. I am not sure how long we kept crying under the golden beams of the sun that was ready to set till I pulled myself out of his hug and wiped my eyes.

"I think it's time to go if I don't want to miss my flight" I said. He nodded and we both stood up. The sound our shoes made as they crashed on the cobblestones sounded for one more time. Right before we entered the huge forest, he stopped.

"Will you forgive me, Case?" he asked.

"There's nothing to forgive you about" I rejoined and I heard him sighing as we disappeared in the huge forest.

XXXXXXXXXX

When my flight landed outside of New York, everything out of the airport seemed to have immersed in utter darkness. I was barely able to distinguish the black Audi Alex had gifted me for my birthday which was parked several feet away of the airport's entrance.

Fortunately it didn't start raining until I had pulled my car out of the airport and was heading at the apartment I and Alex shared few blocks away from the one I used to live before. Being outside of New York City seems weird when you're used to live in such a crowded and lighted city. The only thing you see is cars of different shape, color and brand outstripping you or just following you when the only light helping you drive is coming from your car and some street lamps that appear in your way every now and then.

The fog haziness along with the raindrops falling on the dashboard that night made driving so hard. I've been driving for about twenty minutes when I heard my cell phone ringing. I slowly decreased the speed I was driving with and entered an area of what seemed to be a cafeteria where truck drivers stopped to drink a coffee on their way to New York. Without cut out the car's engine, I unzipped one of my overnight bag's- which I had placed in the backseat- pockets and grabbed my cell phone the exact moment it stopped ringing. Searching through my calls file, I found out the one who called me was my best friend Abby Carmichael. I texted her considering it would be easier to send her a quick message saying I was driving and wouldn't be able to talk over the phone for the next twenty minutes. After doing so and putting the cell phone back inside the pocket, I placed my left hand on the handle bar, pulled the hand break with my right and pressed gas pedal to get my car on the road. Moments later the sound of something that was made of glass breaking which came by the back tire on the left side of the car made me press the brake pedal and stop the car, cutting out the engine this time.

I opened the door, saying words that do not grace an attorney of my league at all. The only thing I could be grateful about at the moment was that my girlfriend wasn't anywhere near. Alexandra Cabot could make herself look more than subdue while at work but when it came to things as a flat tire she could get too much stressed out, mostly because she had no idea how to replace it.

Depending on what Alex had told me about the car including a spare tire, I ran through the rain at the cafeteria hoping someone kind hearted would be willing to help me change my tire when I noticed the room was empty, lights were off and there was a label on the door that read 'Closed'. I knocked on the door, wishing someone was inside. "Is anyone in there?" I shouted but my effort resulted in nothing.

Being totally desperate I hurried through the raindrops that were still falling, looking like I had entered the shower without getting my clothes off as I was wet from top to bottom. Having no other choice but doing it myself I opened my trunk. And then I let a gasp escape through my lips and my keys slip through my fingers.

There, inside my trunk was little a girl around nine years old which got long blonde locks and green eyes, curled up and wrapped up in a thin blanket. She blinked her eyes, being currently blinded by the amount of light that was coming by a street light. As her face features got lightened up, I came to the realization I had never seen that girl before. She wasn't a relative, a friend's or acquaintance's child and she wasn't a victim or a person related to a victim either.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I asked as I started recovering from the instant shock. I felt like my head was going to explode due to the torrent of questions prevailing inside it. _How did she got in my trunk? When? Why? Where did she come from? Who are her parents?_

My new little friend thought seemed unwilling to make any of them clear for me as she remained silent, doing nothing else but look at me.

_**A/N: So, what do you think? Should I continue this one? **_


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